E is for Empty Yourself, 2024
Silver gelatin prints
E is for Empty Yourself is a large-scale photographic installation focusing on my father, our relationship, and his journey through drug addiction
and substance abuse recovery in the aftermath of a career as a police officer. In 2022, he moved into a new apartment in Queens; the first time he’s lived alone in over 15 years. This project focuses on this new chapter of his life.
I position my father’s struggles as yet another, albeit more personal, failure of the criminal justice system. The project title originates from the titular photograph in the series, referencing a quote that my father circled in one of his self-improvement books, which depicts the space behind his bed. This image was made exactly one year after he moved into his new apartment, where a year’s worth of tossing and turning had chipped away the paint and sheetrock, exposing the metal stud framing beneath. Within this work, I am aim to bring considerations of class, education, and workplace conditions into broader discussions around state violence, the future of the American worker, and the institution of policing.
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